Arch MUSIC NEWS for 10/1/12

Arch MUSIC NEWS is compiled by Jay Philpott -

Madonna is facing a legal battle with Marlon Brando‘s estate for using his image in her stage show. The pop star has been using the late actor’s image during her performance of her 1990 hit “Vogue,” which includes his name along with a number of other Hollywood legends.  Madonna pays individual fees to estates of these other celebrities, like Greta Garbo and James Dean. The complex lawsuit starts with Madonna’s Super Bowl performance last February when she paid the appropriate fees through CMG Worldwide, a company that manages the intellectual property of many dead stars but not Brando.  So when she wanted to continue to use Brando’s image on her current “MDNA” tour, she went through CMG to help her get clearance from the Brando estate. CMG agreed, but has now initiated a lawsuit against the Brando estate to prevent them from suing Madonna. By extension, all the other dead stars would be prevented from taking action against CMG. Brando’s estate is now arguing that Madonna has violated the actor’s intellectual property during nearly 90 shows so far. The case has reportedly been moved to a federal court in Indianapolis, where Brando’s estate is asking for more than 300-thousand dollars.

One topic Kenny Rogers doesn’t address in his new autobiography is his plastic surgery. But the singer says as he was writing “Luck or Something Like It” he didn’t ignore that incident in his life. He tells CMT’s “CMT Insider” he wrote about the less-than-successful procedure, but his manager suggested he “not go there.” Rogers adds that he’s “not embarrassed” by the surgery, and says he “tried being honest about it when it happened.” He also admits that after the operation he didn’t like the way his eyes looked. But Kenny says now that the area around “settled down” he’s glad he got the eye lift done, and he’s a little afraid of what he’d possibly look like now if he hadn’t had the procedure. Rogers book, “Luck or Something Like It,” will be in stores on Tuesday.

George Michael is calling off his upcoming tour dates in Australia. The singer announced on his website Saturday that he will be cancelling all Australian shows so he can seek treatment for “major anxiety.” Michael was meant to kick off the Australian tour in Perth on November 10th. He says that he has been suffering from anxiety since surviving a near-fatal case of pneumonia last December. He was hospitalized in Vienna for three weeks after falling ill just before a show there. In his post George apologizes to fans, explaining that he mistakenly thought making music and performing would help him to recover from the traumatic incident. He says he underestimated how difficult touring would be on him.

Tony Bennett is once again working with Lady Gaga. The legendary pop crooner tells “Rolling Stone” that he has paired up with the younger pop star to record a new jazz album. Tony credits Gaga with the idea for the project, and says he was immediately on board when she called him up to pitch the idea. He calls Gaga a “phenomenal” jazz singer and says the two plan to get together to work on the disc as soon as possible. The 86-year-old Bennett adds that he respects Gaga’s creativity, and calls her “the musical Picasso.”  Bennett previously teamed up with Gaga to record “The Lady is a Tramp” for his 2011 album “Duets II.” Tony is currently promoting his upcoming “Viva Duets,” which will out on October 23rd.

A female fan took a bite out Danny Bonaduce‘s cheek Friday night. According to the “News Tribune” of Tacoma, Washington, Bonaduce was at a Washington State casino for a meet-and-greet event when a fan asked if she could kiss him. The former “Partridge Family” star gave the fan his blessing and she bit his cheek. The bite reportedly lasted for up to a minute before the woman was pulled from Bonaduce. The woman was taken into custody, but Bonaduce said he would not press charges. Bonaduce was treated with antibiotics at the scene and is expected to be fine. The one-time child star even remained at the event and continued meeting with his fans.

Justin Bieber might reconsider his pre-show beverages from here on out. The launch of his “Believe” tour Saturday night didn’t exactly go as planned when he became sick during the concert. He threw up on stage during the song “Out of Town Girl,” and made a quick exit during “Beauty and the Beat” to vomit offstage. Upon his return he admitted to the Glendale, Arizona crowd that it was hard for him to be “not feeling great and throwing up in front of a bunch of people.” But Justin received shrieks and cheers of support when he asked if they’d still love him even though he’s “throwing up on stage.”  Following the concert Bieber blamed his condition on what he’d had prior to the show, tweeting “Milk was a bad choice! Lol.” He also tweeted that it was still a “great show,” and that he was “getting better” for Sunday’s concert in Las Vegas.

Miley Cyrus continues to put distance between herself and “Hannah Montana.” She’s reportedly in talks to play notorious outlaw Bonnie Parker in the upcoming miniseries “Bonnie & Clyde.” The role will mark Cyrus’ first starring TV role since her Disney Channel series. It also continues her tack to reinvent herself as a decidedly more adult actress. The 19-year-old played a troubled teen in the movie “LOL” with Demi Moore, released earlier this year. She’ll also appear in two episodes of the new season of CBS’ “Two and a Half Men.” Recently-released images from the series show the newly-blonde Miley in bed with Moore’s real-life estranged husband Ashton Kutcher.

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